Vikings Offensive MVP: Week 12 vs. the Detroit Lions

Thanks to a great effort by quarterback Case Keenum, the Minnesota Vikings were able to get a win over the Detroit Lions on Thursday.

Each and every week that Case Keenum gets to be the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings is another chance for him to prove his doubters wrong. Against the Detroit Lions in a Thanksgiving Day matchup, that is exactly what Keenum did.

The Vikings were able to get a 30-23 win over the Lions on Thursday thanks largely in part to their quarterback throwing for 282 yards and two touchdowns while also running for another score. With the victory, Minnesota is now 9-2 this season and still in the running to capture home-field advantage throughout the entire playoffs.

For Keenum, his performance against Detroit was the fourth time this year that he has finished a game with at least 280 passing yards and two touchdowns. Before 2017, the quarterback had these types of numbers in a single-game just two times in his entire career.

Keenum got off to a quick start on Thursday, finding tight end Kyle Rudolph in the end zone on the Vikings’ first offensive drive of the game, giving the team an early 6-0 lead over the Lions. On Minnesota’s very next drive, the offense ran just two plays before Keenum scrambled nine yards for his first rushing touchdown of the season.

The Vikings’ quarterback found Rudolph in the end zone again in the second quarter for a 22-yard score that increased the team’s first half point total to 20.

Minnesota Vikings

Keenum did not throw or run for anymore touchdowns in the second half on Thursday, but he made a few crucial throws in the fourth quarter that allowed Minnesota to hang on for the win.

With the quarterback now having nine starts under his belt for the Vikings this season, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has really found a way to get the most out of Keenum’s skill-set in 2017.

Minnesota doesn’t need the quarterback to carry the team on his back. They just need him to be in control of the offense, take a few chances downfield, and avoid turning the ball over. Nothing too crazy.

Next: Vikings’ ups and downs from Week 12 win

This strategy has worked so far for Keenum and the Vikings this year. The play of their quarterback against Detroit on Thursday now has Minnesota all but guaranteed to win their second NFC North crown in the past three seasons.